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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23823202">Dance 'Round the Flames</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tzigane/pseuds/tzigane'>tzigane</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffiends/pseuds/Zaganthi'>Zaganthi (Caffiends)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ashes to Ashes [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gundam Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Stargate Fusion, Body Horror, Domestic Fluff, Family Bonding, M/M, Medical Experimentation, Mental Health Issues, Nanites, Nanites (Stargate), Parent-Child Relationship, trophy husband</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:36:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23823202</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tzigane/pseuds/tzigane, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffiends/pseuds/Zaganthi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The village was no less unsettling on the way out than it had been on the way in. He found the path and kept his eyes on it, walking with care over uneven ground. Wufei's people must have been a nearly incomprehensible threat to the government in terms of power to have been exiled to a failing colony. He'd read the official documents of course, but he would have to read the colony's own accounts. The discrepancies would be 'interesting', to say the least.</p><p>It was possible that Mariemaia had already read it; he knew that she quite liked history and was fascinated by all of the things someone might have done in the past. They both answered any question put to them, and he had seen her with her head bent over a book, Wufei settled beside her, more than once.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chang Wufei/Treize Khushrenada</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ashes to Ashes [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Dance 'Round the Flames</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The shop was finally set up, everything in place, enough for them to start doing whatever they liked. Building comic book superhero suits, designing new mechs, or doing the more important work of beginning to figure out Treize's nanite programming. There was no question as to where they needed to go next, Wufei thought. Just worry as to whether or not Treize was ready to answer the questions that needed asking.</p><p>Getting the equipment staged had been easy, and now it was just Treize going through old notes on datapad chips that he was oddly pleased still worked after rummaging them up from storage. "The Alliance had been planning to execute me once they realized I was infected," he commented, idly zipping through files and diagrams, staging up the important ones and discarding the things he didn't need. "And because of sheer nepotism, I managed to get thirty-six hours in isolation with a computer and minimal outside support to prove that I wasn't going to be a danger. I threw together a small EMP taser, hit myself with it a few times, and then extracted a section of skin to try to reprogram enough of them to cross populate the rest of them."</p><p>It wasn't as if Wufei didn't know going in that Treize was slightly suicidal and definitely crazy when certain lines were crossed. He took a deep breath and let it out in a slow steady release. "I don't think that would be advisable at this time." It would be the absolute opposite of advisable. Wufei could only imagine what would happen if he did that. He didn't <em>think</em> his legs and arms would fall off and he would bleed out, but he also couldn't be sure that they wouldn't. "I want to look at their programming and compare it to mine, so let's start with that."</p><p>"I know you think I'm insane, but my options at the time were self experimentation or bullet at the base of my neck." He canted his eyebrows at Wufei, mouth easy and relaxed. "Here, I've passed their last current programming over to you, from around Luxembourg. The challenge is always re-programming. I've done minor upgrades since then with little work, but I haven't looked at the... environmental impact of what happened to them."</p><p>Wufei hummed in acknowledgment. "Don't worry, I already knew you're insane. Crazily enough, though, I'm fond of you and there's no bullet threatening you now." He began flicking through the coding, fingers darting from left to right, up and down. "For one thing, the coding is entirely different. The base system is nothing like my original nanites. Yours are like the ones that destroyed my people, which probably explains why they're completely terrible at rebuilding."</p><p>"They are the ones that destroyed your people. I did what I could with them. Your nanites were from..." Treize looked like he was guessing. "The scientists behind Operation Meteor."</p><p>"Yes." There was no point in denying it; maybe it was something they should have talked about before, but that twinged in his chest in a strange way, painful and full of regret. "You... were there. I, one of the pilots said that it was for you, but I...."</p><p>Treize looked up, meeting his eyes and holding them, expression calm and clear. "The specials and the Alliance were already clashing by then. My unit's mission had been to suppress L5 with mobile suits, to put down the rebellion the old fashioned way. The Alliance got the idea to use nanites and decided to press. We never received the communique to stop the original mission."</p><p>The gasp that he drew in startled both of them, Wufei thought, almost as much as the shaky breath he immediately let out again. "Oh. <em>Oh</em>."</p><p>Treize set the datapad down, and the wheeled stools that he fitted the workshops with were perhaps the best thing because they were knee to knee in seconds, and Treize wrapped his arms over Wufei's shoulders. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"Yeah." Yeah, and that was... it was weirdly okay. It made sense, and they clearly had fucked up signposts for what was wrong because <em>I was there, I just wasn't <span class="u">there</span></em> made some kind of screwed up sense to him. "Yeah." He dropped his head against Treize's shoulder and let go of the tension, shaky.</p><p>"Once we realized what was in the Alliance dropships, we tried to scramble out. But we were already engaged in fighting. I managed to call off most of the unit, and caught a vent full of nanites." Treize shifted closer, held tight to him. "And then, if there's any justice in the world, most of my unit was executed for nanite contamination."</p><p>"Fuck." He couldn't stop shaking. "That. That's the reason for Operation Meteor. No one who survived the original drop knew about your assault." If they had, he would absolutely have known. Wufei was certain.</p><p>"Plague on L2, same technique. Resource starvation of L4." Treize's fingers slid over his shoulders, pressing firmly as if he could press Wufei back together. "Retaliation for the plague of assassinations, which was retaliation for, I don't know. I do know, but you look at it and none of it was worth what happened."</p><p>"No." None of it was worth it, and Wufei couldn't stop clinging. "But two of us survived. Just two."</p><p>"I know. I'm sorry." They had an amazing ability to avoid talking about things, not to discuss what Treize had done as a soldier. He stroked fingers down Wufei's back, the touch slow and firm. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"I know." He did. And it wasn't okay, it absolutely wasn't, but at the same time it was. "I know. It's, we're fine. We're okay." And he loved Treize. He did, and they had both suffered. He hadn't committed the actual atrocity, but everything was difficult. Life was difficult. "We're okay." And if he buried his face against Treize's neck and just held him for a bit, then no one was there to judge him.</p><p>He remembered that day as clear as anything, remembered getting in Shenlong, cutting down Leos, and the explosion in which Meiran had saved his life and lost hers. He just hadn't acknowledged purposefully in his head that the Leos were being directed by someone, that the local resistance Treize had encountered was Meiran, and him. Those Leos had seemed panicked, un-military, like cowards, and he didn't know why until it was too late for everyone.</p><p>It took a bit before he found his calm, and by then he was still a shivering wreck against Treize. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Sorry. That was... unexpected." To say the least. "She died in that onslaught, getting between me and one of the..." Yes. Well. "It explains a lot."</p><p>Treize didn't move yet, just stroking Wufei's back, holding him tight as if he might fall apart otherwise. "I suppose it does. There never has been a good time to talk about it."</p><p>"There never is." That was more than true, and he thought now was as good a time as any. "There are other things we should probably discuss. I can't think of them right now, but if you have something else traumatic, we could get it over with in one go."</p><p>He said it as a joke, a rough one, but he didn't actually expect Treize to open his mouth or do anything other than continue holding him. "My first confirmed kill was when I was twelve. You've definitely had more formal schooling than I have."</p><p>"Twelve." If his voice sounded thready, well. Who could blame him? "You were twelve." That was as mind-blanking as anything else. Twelve? At twelve, he'd been sitting bored in a geometry class and wishing he could move on to something else, not killing people.</p><p>"Twelve," Treize agreed, still holding onto him tightly. He sounded calm and relaxed, oddly. "So I can't think of anything else traumatic. Off the top of my head."</p><p>"That would be more than sufficient. My first battle wasn't, it was when the colony was attacked. I was already several years older than you were then." What the hell. "Did you mention this to your therapist?"</p><p>"Ah, no, I don't think I have?" He turned his head a little, pressed a kiss against the side of Wufei's head. What <em>had</em> he told her to get diagnosed quite so quickly?</p><p>"Possibly," he suggested, "you should tell her that." And god knows what else, he had a lot of questions about how he'd been raised compared to how other people had been. He was fairly certain that the answer was that he'd been ridiculously sheltered, particularly for someone colony-raised.</p><p>"Mmhmm." Treize's agreeing hum was soft, indulgent as he let his hand wander, rubbing gently at the nape of Wufei's neck. "I will. I'm still sorry."</p><p>It was too late to be sorry, and there was no point. It was over, done, and Treize had suffered from it as well in the end. Of course, it was also what was keeping him alive. If he believed in destiny at all, he'd think it was a stone cold bitch. "I know." And he did, he absolutely knew. "Well. We've gotten sidetracked, I see." He didn't pull away strongly, though, just settled comfortably against Treize.</p><p>"We have." Treize shifted slightly, a little less tangled legs, and loosened what had briefly been a death grip. He leaned back a little and it was more comfortable. "But we're not up against a clock. This isn't thirty-six hours or you're dead."</p><p>Thank god for that. "That was fairly impressive of you," Wufei admitted. "I'm surprised you didn't have more issues since the ones on-colony started triggering cell mutation in a very short period of time. People who were already sick died very quickly, and people who weren't... It ranged from severe arthritis, a variety of cancers, and immune disorders to the kind of thing you'd expect in comic books. Nightmarish."</p><p>"The EMP, it was like an EMP taser I kept using on myself, knocked them out, allowed me to rework their base programming enough. To just repair inflicted cell damage. It isn't great, but it's a detente with them." He shifted his arms, rubbing his hand along the side of Wufei's arm gently. "What you're describing is why they were scanning and immediately killing us up at the drop ship. Couldn't risk that getting into the general population, what if it were contagious, what if. What if."</p><p>"It was. Or we think it was. It was difficult to tell. The air was carefully recycled so there wasn't any way to be certain." Wufei leaned back slowly, letting out a steady sigh. Ugh. His head hurt. "Although now I'm guessing I know how you knocked me out that night I climbed up to your balcony."</p><p>Treize let go a little more, still rubbing gently at his arm. "I had a hunch where you were from, and I had to know." And of course he hadn't been as completely stupid as to be unarmed. "And you know, it gave me a backache for about a week afterwards, because there was no way not to be in the field. So I'm a little leery of using an EMP."</p><p>"Thank god for small favors." He couldn't help the smile he gave. "In any case. Just from the look of things, we have entirely different underlying programming. At a glance, yours is more cobbled together than mine. The scientists who helped plan Operation Meteor didn't actually talk to one another for literal decades, so whatever each individual scientist did was separate and unguided for the most part. What happened on L5 is likely completely different than anything that happened on the other colonies with the other pilots. I think Duo just sort of... showed up and G decided he looked like he'd be an interesting form of chaos to inflict upon the world at large."</p><p>"He was right." Treize's voice softened a little, relaxing as he kept rubbing idly at Wufei's arm. "So you were augmented with nanites as developed and written by a professional. Rather than hacked together quickly by one desperate non-professional. I'm feeling rather insulted about the code comments," he teased.</p><p>"Mmm, clearly you should be." He managed a smile, or something like one anyway. "Very insulted."</p><p>Treize inhaled and then sighed, leaning in for a moment to kiss Wufei. "I might have. Made an adjustment to yours so they wouldn't attack mine."</p><p>"You might have or you did?" One eyebrow raised, he looked at Treize. "You're terrible at confessions." Reaching up, he scratched at his jaw. "I wonder what would happen if we tried to overwrite the programming. Mine definitely travel in my bloodstream as well as other ways, we could conceivably take samples and see how they react to one another." Wufei paused. "I'm AB+, so long as you're also positive, I don't think we should have any strange reactions due to incompatibility."</p><p>"I did. I don't want to overwrite your programming because they're damn effective. I'm afraid of what patchwork bullshit I might have accidentally created with my programming." He was having the same thought as Wufei was, possibly with more justification and maybe a growing sense of horror. It was hard to tell when he was off kilter until it was too late. "We'll start with a Petri dish."</p><p>Wufei nodded. "Wise choice. Hopefully we can also remove the patch within a sample and see what happens when they're exposed without it." It was likely that they both already had a fair idea of what it would do, which was exactly why Treize added the patch.</p><p>And quick as that, Treize pulled away to grab a dish, and a pocket knife. Of course, of course he had a pocket knife, even if Wufei wondered where it had been hiding. "Terribly unsterile finger prick time, and then we can get out the microscope."</p><p>"Put away your pocket knife, you lunatic." Wufei leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I'm going into the house for perhaps an entire five minutes for rubbing alcohol and one of the stick pins that we found in the side room with the antique sewing supplies. Surely that's better than a knife."</p><p>"This is gundanium and those stick pins are rusty. I'm not feeding the little bastards rust, what if they get a taste for it?" He tipped his head up as Wufei was already standing. "The rubbing alcohol I'll accede to."</p><p>"Ah, momentary sense, how surprising," he murmured, and Treize smiled in response. "I'll be right back."</p><p>It didn't take long -- there was rubbing alcohol in the bathroom. On an off-chance, he checked the emergency medical kit that they had purchased and placed in the linen closet after the incident with the rotting wood for treehouse entry, and Wufei was pleased enough to find that their purchase of a well-supplied kit meant that there was a glucose monitor and a handful of lancets. If he happened to be very lucky, he wouldn't get back to the shop and find that Treize had randomly chopped off a fingertip to see what happened.</p><p>He was instead flicking through the datapad while toying with his pocket knife in a way that implied that if Wufei had picked around in the bathroom for more than a another minute he would have been facing just that. "I don't know why where're bothering with sterility now..."</p><p>"Start as you intend to go along," Wufei advised, more than marginally pleased when he placed the items in front of Treize. "We should probably set up a clean lab at some point. The autoclave was a good idea, but I worry we might need more."</p><p>"If we get too much more medical you're going to need ketamine for me," Treize deadpanned, grabbing an alcohol swab to swipe over a fingertip. He quickly stabbed with the lancet, and held his fingertip over the Petri dish. Sometime while Wufei has been away, he'd pulled down a second one which he bled in as well, and a third which he handed to Wufei.</p><p>"That might be dry before we manage to try and remove the patch," Wufei advised, but he did the same as Treize, stabbing his finger with the lancet. He grimaced and then held his finger over the first Petri dish and squeezed out a couple of drops before repeating the process in the third.</p><p>"Yes, but I kept the original code pull," Treize commented, putting lids on both and then turning back to his datapad. "So that one is A, and this is B, so let's take C away from you and see if I can get the old programming back in." He stuck his bleeding finger in his mouth out of habit as he said it, catching Wufei's eyes. "I think we can both guess how this will go."</p><p>"Won't know the answer until we do it," he advised, and handed it over as instructed.</p><p>Treize stopped sucking on his injured finger, and set the dish on a separate table at the other side of the workshop before bringing over his datapad and a small device that he plugged into it attached to a flattish disk; the disk was sent over the Petri dish. A few commands, and…</p><p>"Well. Probably best you added that patch, then." Wufei felt strangely blank as he watched the blood cells lyse when they came into range of one another. </p><p>"Yes, I'm rather good," he remarked, looking oddly pleased as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Wufei. "It was a hunch, since you were still alive and healthy."</p><p>That explained the reason for the clean room on L5 much better than anyone worrying that he might get infected. It explained why the nanites that had entered Wufei during that battle hadn't affected him like they had the rest of his colony.</p><p>It explained everything, and today had been chock full of tiny strange little bombs clustering around him. Treize was watching him, expression quiet, intense, and then he stood up unevenly and reached to steady Wufei, though he didn't think he needed it. "Perhaps we should stop for the day."</p><p>"I'm all right." Sort of. "I just realized that they weren't protecting me from them; they were protecting themselves from me, and for very good reason."</p><p>"Yes. Theirs were contagious, and would yours have followed them to the source? I don't know. Part of what I did to mine was contain them. I removed the new host seeking behavior completely. Which is why I wasn't concerned about what yours might do in a general sense, but intimacy... provides opportunities for crossover."</p><p>Right. Right, scrapes, mucosal linings, sex, those would all provide opportunities, and Wufei let out a hefty sigh, glancing at the first Petri dish where the blood droplets had mingled together just fine with no lysing and no apparent issues. It was fine the way things were. It was only if they changed the patch that things went to hell.</p><p>It was fine.</p><p>He could have come to Luxembourg and simply murdered the man with a kiss and been done with it, and no one would have been the wiser. Or any of his clan's people, it... "Oh, yes, you're going to sit down now. I'll go and fetch coffee." There was no room for argument in that tone as Treize backed him up to a chair, and Wufei didn't have the energy required to fight him on that, not when the day had been such a rollercoaster of emotional disaster.</p><p>Wufei was still sitting quietly when Treize came back, a tray with coffee and some of the pastries that their part time cook made sure that they had on any given day. "Sorry," he said, looking at him. "It's weird to suddenly realize that you're a deadly weapon in your own right." Not that he hadn't been before, sort of, but there was a difference between killing someone with your hands and killing someone with a kiss.</p><p>Treize opened his mouth and then closed it with a rueful expression. "You're not. You're a self contained maintenance system, and I have what it perceives to be an unwanted infection." He handed Wufei the coffee, and tucked his left hand into his pants pocket before picking up his own. "And unmodified, they're ruinous."</p><p>"Well. That completely does away with any idea I might have had about mine being used to overtake and overwrite yours, that much is certain." Reaching up, Wufei flicked strands of hair that had snuck out of his loose elastic behind an ear.</p><p>Treize leaned against a nearby table, legs stretched out in front of him, close enough to Wufei to brush against him. "No, but perhaps I can borrow a few, optimistically reprogrammed to do... some kind of clean up work. I'm really afraid of what I've done to myself."</p><p>"I'm afraid of what you've done to yourself, too." Wufei lifted his cup of coffee and blew on it, taking a sip. It was, strictly speaking, a bit sweeter than he usually liked, but Treize probably thought he could use it and so he didn't object. He just sipped, and took one of the pastries when it was offered. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting for today to be so..."</p><p>"I was." Treize gave him a soft smile, eyes focused intently on Wufei. "I just wasn't sure where it would come from. I would like to maybe set a day aside, and do a small EMP test near something non vital. See if my other hunch is right."</p><p>"No." Wufei's response was immediate, and he knew that wasn't the best way to do basically anything with Treize. "No, no, I can't, I don't..."</p><p>"Wufei, I have to know what I can and can't do with them, and how bad the situation actually is. I'm in pain most days, and I can't address it. I..." His mouth went tight. "I don't know how to explain how much this hurts."</p><p>"Can we try it with your blood first? I..." He could see it, honestly, could see Treize's arms and legs and eye just...</p><p>He could see that one video of Treize completely ruined, his face gaping open, his eye gone, and it was so much worse than having Treize give him a thoughtful scowl face to face while casually leaning against the table's edge. Treize was holding his hips a little funny; he was almost always sitting a little funny, slouched or leaning, just like if he thought if he couldn't see his left hand then it wouldn't bother him. "We'll probably need more blood to be sure." He picked up an almond croissant after setting his coffee cup down. "I'm not... going to experiment when you're not here, or behind your back. I'm just... tired and impatient."</p><p>Wufei sighed deeply, relieved. "Sorry. Sorry, I just... I want you to feel better but I'm also afraid of what might happen and I can't. Today, I can't get the images out of my head, I can't." </p><p>"Neither can I. I vividly remember what some of it looked like without the aid of videos." He tapped his own hip thoughtfully with his left hand, and then started to straighten up. "I'll rummage some boxes, find the old device, and we'll test blood today and stop there. Think about it and talk it through."</p><p>"All right." What else was he going to say? "All right, I just... I can't. Today. I'm sorry, I know you want to move forward, but..." At least they'd both have plenty to talk about in therapy next week.</p><p>He didn't even know where to start or end, and Treize sighed and stood in the middle of the room, sipping his coffee and thinking instead of diving into any of the boxes. He knew Treize could pursue a line of thought for hours with unrelenting focus, but he watched him close his eyes and nod instead. "Let's close up for the day and start again tomorrow."</p><p>Wufei wanted to apologize. He wanted to say that no, they could in fact go on and keep working, but more than anything, he wanted Treize safe under his hands. More than anything else, he wanted to be able to touch him and be sure of him. "We still have a couple of hours before we have to pick up Mari. We could..." He felt at a loss, and so he drew in a deep breath. "I would like," he specified, "to hold you so that I can feel you in one piece."</p><p>Treize nodded to that, too, and took a swig of his coffee to drain it, still looking thoughtful as he walked back toward Wufei. "I know that it's a great deal to process. About the nanites, about..." All of it, yes, and as frustrated as Treize might have been, he didn't keep arguing it. "I think your plan is excellent."</p><p>"Sorry," he added. "Today's been challenging for a lot of reasons." And it had been. "I'll gather up the coffee and pastries if you want to put away everything else."</p><p>"You don't need to apologize." Treize laid his right hand against Wufei's side, comfortable and close. His skin was warm and real through the fabric of Wufei's shirt. "I often give up for the day without consulting you at all. And I don't apologize as much."</p><p>"Tomorrow," Wufei promised. "Tomorrow, I'll have had time to adjust."</p><p>"Or the day after. I have plenty of entertainingly insane research proposals that have been sorted for my perusal to view." He could throw himself into them, but every time Wufei saw him shift weirdly in a chair, he knew he'd cringe inside.</p><p>"Tomorrow," he promised again. "I want you to be comfortable. I don't like the fact that you're in pain. We'll find the solution. We'll make it work." Wufei paused. "Actually, the smart thing to do would be to arrange a trip to Lanzhou. Laoshi is in the mountains north of there. We should take it to him personally."</p><p>The fingers against his side rubbed gently. "You do that tomorrow and I'll see what happens to a test tube of my own blood. We might have to get Mariemaia to pull the trigger, you know?" Given the sheer number of boxes and lack of labeling on them, it was entirely possible all of the next day for Treize would be taken up rummaging boxes. "Come on."</p><p>Wufei stood and reached for the coffee tray. "Coming," he murmured, and followed Treize gratefully out of the shop.</p>
<hr/><p>As far as first family vacations went, Treize rather considered it ambitious, but Mariemaia was an excellent sport, and had mostly kept herself amused reading over some of the pre-screened grant proposals Treize had received from scientists all over the world. He would let her mark them up before he did his markups, and her analytical bent was really quite exciting.</p><p>She had made it through a number of them before he glanced into the back seat and realized that the soft strains of classical music and the road noise had lulled her to sleep. Her neck would probably ache when she woke from the angle at which it had fallen, but it was probably best to leave her dozing for the time being.</p><p>"Everything okay?" Wufei glanced into the back seat. The way he smiled was soft, and it was a little strange to realize that they were parents. He knew it, of course, but sometimes it struck him a little funny.</p><p>It was jarring to think he'd taken care of children her age before when he hadn't been much older himself; soothed hearts broken by the loss of their parents and squad members, calmed hysterics, wiped away tears, calmed and amused and taught. Taught so they could survive. It all came back to him easier than he'd expected except now he was teaching to share, to grow, to see what she would do with it, and he had a partner who could and would tell him when he was expecting too much of her. "Yes." He cleared his throat. "She fell asleep reading."</p><p>"Ahh." Wufei glanced in the rear view mirror one more time. "You might want to set the paperwork to the side so that she doesn't drool on it." He sounded deeply amused. "We don't have much farther to go."</p><p>"They're just printouts. I don't care." Treize took one last long glance at her, and turned back around with care. </p><p>His blood hadn't reacted badly to the EMP at all, which was just what he'd expected. His left hand, which he'd used to set off the small taser like device had begun to break down sometime that night, and he'd woken up at three in the morning in excruciating pain, with blood oozing out of everything from mid wrist up. He'd ruined a set of bedsheets and then two or three good bathroom towels in an attempt to wrap and had woken Wufei up in the process, and well. It had been traumatic but they <em>knew</em>. Some heavy emergency IV supplementation and bed rest, and everything had been back to normal within a couple of days.</p><p>Normal being relative.</p><p>Wufei had been skittish for a day or two, or perhaps that was the wrong word. Worried might be more accurate. He kept checking Treize's other injuries with an almost fanatical apprehension as if worried that something else might break down despite the likelihood being low.</p><p>After that, they'd arranged to take a trip to China sooner rather than later.</p><p>A winter holiday had been bumped up to a half term trip, something exciting that Mariemaia could talk about to her classmates to her heart's content. There was a dinosaur museum they were going to see when they went back to Lanzhou, and quite a few other historical sites. He had a feeling about the dinosaur museum being the big hit, though. </p><p>Knowing it was actually the worst case scenario was oddly soothing; it was a question answered. Everything he'd ever had injured was being actively maintained by his little friends and they had a hell of a workload to keep up with. So when some were temporarily knocked offline by an EMP, well, the work faltered.</p><p>It definitely made things significantly more worrying. An accidental EMP was unlikely, but Treize and Wufei were unfortunately far too familiar with how often <em>unlikely</em> turned into <em>but it happened last week, anyway.</em> That was quite literally the story of their lives.</p><p>"I really think he'll be able to help. We're just..." Wufei waved a hand, then reached down and shifted gears as the grade of the mountain changed. "We're novices compared to him."</p><p>"Novices in the dark wielding hack saws, in my case," Treize murmured quietly, leaning his head back against the headrest. He wasn't sure how the conversation had gone for Wufei, only that they were invited to come and that the scientist was interested. He hoped that meant that murdering Earth scum was also welcome, but there was no telling how one of the original figures behind Operation Meteor might feel about him. Never mind that his father had been assassinated for being as pro-colony as Heero Yuy himself.</p><p>"Well. Maybe he can help us figure it out. I don't know how far I'd trust the others; some of them were more esoteric in their general methods." Probably right next door to arcane, at a guess.</p><p>Unless he was going to greet them with an EMP generator, Treize didn't think it could get worse. "I hate to say it, but we never had good intel on any of them. Some days I'm not sure how we successfully prosecuted any of those wars."</p><p>"You didn't." The voice was wry. "Mostly, someone chose a sacrificial lamb. At a guess. There were so many assassinations that I suspect no one could have even started to find all of the perpetrators." As Treize well knew. "Most of the scientists working on Operation Meteor escaped prosecution. They split up, each going to a different colony cluster, and they didn't have contact with one another for decades to stay better hidden."</p><p>"Still fairly sure you found at least one of the perpetrators." At the very least, Dekim Barton had killed Heero Yuy and set off more than a quarter century of unrest and war. And the other one was enjoying the view from the passenger seat. He let his head loll back against the headrest, scanning the scenery. Oddly it reminded him of the New Canadian west; busts of rocky barren mountain, and then greenery and trees crowded in so thick that it looked like carpeting, mist weaving in and around all of it.</p><p>"Mmm." That was agreement, Wufei's voice low and slow. "Yes. And now he won't be able to do it again." Or anything again, considering the fact that Wufei had beheaded him. "Hopefully everyone else can look at the horror of the latest war and decide that repeating it would be the stupidest mistake of their lives.</p><p>"Should hold for at least a decade." He wasn't an idiot, but it would give everyone a chance to rebuild. Some animals startled in the underbrush as they drove past, causing a ripple of leafy green motion.</p><p>"I hope it holds for our lifetime and hers." Wufei changed gears again, and slowed the car. He didn't bother reaching for the blinker -- there was no one behind him and hadn't been for the last hour -- just made a left turn onto a road that was little better than a lane, the center of it strewn with grass.</p><p>He didn't dare nod off while Wufei drove because if they needed to leave at any speed or anything happened, he needed to know how to get back. Not that Wufei seemed concerned because it was technically his home territory, but... but. "So do I." Treize let the comfortable silence settle for a few long minutes, as the ride grew more 'off road'. He was starting to ache, but he didn't want to draw attention by moving. "When were you last here?"</p><p>"Couple of years ago. I mostly leave him to his own devices, make sure he has money in his account so that he can get anything he wants or needs. He goes into town once a month to pick up anything he needs but mostly he stays to himself." The road narrowed again, rocks pressing in on either side. The vehicle just barely squeaked through, and for several feet everything felt too tight, claustrophobic.</p><p>When they pulled out on the other side, it opened up into a village. It looked as if it hadn't changed in decades, possibly centuries, some of the roofs ramshackle and falling in, but he could tell almost immediately which of them were in use; the ones with the solid, well built roofs. A couple had antennae. One had firewood stacked up along the side and was clearly the most heavily occupied. Kudzu had overtaken some of the buildings where the roofs had gone.</p><p>Treize turned in his seat and reached into the back to gently wake up Mariemaia. She gave sleepy grumpy mumbles and shook her head, telling him, "Nooo," like the average ten year old. That alone made him smile. He frequently thought the same thing early in the morning.</p><p>"We're here, Mari," Wufei told her a little loudly, pulling up close to the solid house and parking. "I'll take you to see the springs later."</p><p>"Oh yes, that's an excellent idea with the family habit of falling into water." Treize shifted to get out, and it took him a minute. It bought Mariemaia time to wake up and shake off the fuzziness of sleep.</p><p>She gave a wide yawn, eyes squeezed tightly shut as she gave a long stretch. "What was that?"</p><p>"Nothing," Wufei told her, getting out from behind the wheel. "We're here."</p><p>Treize held the car door open for her while he scanned the surroundings. The old scientist was probably watching them and the feeling of being in a potential combat situation put his nerves up. "Let's see how this goes."</p><p>"He knows we're coming," Wufei promised, and moved toward the house, his stride long and easy, one hand shoved into a back pocket as if to ease some of the tension from the long drive following the plane flight.</p><p>"Father," Mariemaia noted, "this feels like the beginning of a horror movie."</p><p>"It does indeed." He settled his good hand on her back as they followed Wufei. "That's your intuition trying to tell you something." And that something was to get back in the Jeep and keep going.</p><p>Wufei gave a chuff of a laugh, or possibly it was a breath of exasperation. Could have been either one. "I assure you, zombies are not going to attack from the tree line. Laoshi!" His voice was a bit raised, loud enough to be heard, Treize was sure.</p><p>A moment later, a tall man stepped out of the house, his pate shiny and bald under the weak sunlight. "Chang Wufei. It is good to see you again."</p><p>"And you as well." Wufei's mouth was curved into the faintest of smiles. "May I introduce my partner, Treize Khushrenada, and our daughter, Mariemaia Barton Khushrenada?"</p><p>"Hello." Mariemaia broke the ice first, still looking bothered -- after all, if Wufei mentioned zombies from the tree lines it had certainly crossed Treize's mind as well -- and stepped forward to offer her hand while Treize got his first good look at one of the Gundam scientists outside of the target packet that had been assembled on the man just prior to his forced exile. He looked a bit older than the surveillance activity had captured him as, but no less healthy and substantial, and his eyes held a keen, amused expression.</p><p>"It is a delight to meet you, Miss Mariemaia." His voice was smooth and deep, expression perhaps kinder than Treize had any right to expect considering the scientists, much like Wufei, had nearly been suffocated during the struggle for control of the lunar base in which they'd been forced to work on developing new mobile suits.</p><p>She smiled up at him, looking thoughtful. "It's good to meet you, too. You're Wufei's friend." </p><p>Or something. And what did he say? He hadn't rehearsed anything, hadn't given it too much thought except to let his own list of borderline crimes run down through his head. The man laughed, and there was a rather surprising dimple in his left cheek. "Yes. I am Wufei's friend. We, too, can be friends if you like, Miss Mariemaia."</p><p>"Call me Mari, please." She was disconcertingly charming. "Wufei says you're Laoshi." The word didn't trip off of her tongue quite right, but it was close enough.</p><p>"Indeed. I am. Shall we come inside? There is less moisture and mist."</p><p>Treize tucked his left hand into his pocket and clenched his jaw. He could manage this. He moved to follow them into the building, Wufei's expression curious but un-prompting. Patient, for all that he had a temper in a fight.</p><p>"I don't know where to start," Treize finally said as he stepped inside what was a nicely organized entry room, "perhaps with an apology, sir."</p><p>One hand waved it away. "No need. It all started long before you were involved and we all played our part, one way or another. Now we live with our mistakes and our tragedies and our successes and our joys." Laoshi's gaze slid to Wufei. "We must all forgive one another and go forward to the best of our abilities."</p><p>He supposed that was a reference to something that had passed between them, back on the colony. "An admirable stance, one I wish more people would take. I know Wufei has been talking to you about why we're here. I, we need your help."</p><p>"If I thought I could convince you to return with us, I would," Wufei admitted, placing his shoes and Mariemaia's on the shelf just beside the door that was clearly for that purpose. "We could use your help for possibly an extended period, and it would be easier to do the necessary testing if you were near us."</p><p>Treize followed suit, struggling for a moment with balance but not fucking it up. One needed to have standards, even if they were kept low. "Though I think letting you look at the problem is a... good start, if you're willing to help."</p><p>"Father?" Mariemaia looked worried. "Is something wrong? I thought we were just coming for holiday."</p><p>Wufei's hand rested on her shoulder. "It's nothing to worry about, Mari. Just time to see Laoshi and he happens to be an expert with a coding problem we're having. Don't fret."</p><p>She would fret, because she was smart and she was from bloodlines that fretted thoughtfully and had survived because of it. "The expert, I would go so far as to say." He lifted an eyebrow at Laoshi.</p><p>He moved ahead of them and into a room with a low table, a tea set upon it with several interesting snacks. One hand gestured towards it. "Perhaps not so much as some, but yes. Certainly that." Laoshi sat on a cushion on the floor and watched as Wufei stood, giving Treize the opportunity to use his own steadiness so that he could sit at the table as well. "I had expected you might ask that I return with you. I am prepared to do so."</p><p>He didn't think a day would pass when he wasn't intensely grateful for Wufei's mindfulness, and they sat together carefully while Mariemaia peeked at the snacks and the tea, and the interior of the room, so different from what she was used to. "That's a relief. What do you think of our experiments so far?"</p><p>Laoshi glanced at Mariemaia. Wufei was slipping snacks onto a plate in front of her. "A bit reckless for my taste, but sometimes it is difficult to have the appropriate distance to resist the urge to go forward.</p><p>"The challenge is a bit close to home, and I have no formal training." Just ambition, and sometimes a touch of mania, and too much drive. "I'm almost pleased it didn't surpass recklessness."</p><p>"Not me," Wufei advised, gimlet eye turned on Treize. "I did say we should wait to talk to Laoshi."</p><p>"Ugh." Mariemaia's face was screwed up in a weird way as she sampled a snack. "That's very... sour." She paused. "I think I like it."</p><p>Laoshi poured the tea with care for each of them. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."</p><p>Ah, now there were two expressions of approbation turned on him. "Ah, well. We all make choices. They are not always, however, good choices."</p><p>Oh, good, he was about to be completely outnumbered. Treize picked up the teacup with care in his right hand, and took a small sip. "No, they aren't. We'll make this worth your trouble, though." Money wasn't an obstacle, or anything that the scientist asked for short of someone to experiment on outside of Treize himself.</p><p>The wave of a hand greeted that statement. "I do this freely. There are only two of us left now. We must stand by one another, yes?"</p><p>"Yes," Wufei replied, lifting his own cup. Mariemaia put another of the snack crackers in her mouth, shuddered at the taste, and looked betrayed by the fact that she was enjoying it.</p><p>Treize watched her expression, smiling at her. "You don't have to keep eating them if you don't like them..." But she did. She was at least accustomed to the tea, as it was as freely available in the house as coffee was.</p><p>"I do, just. It's horrible." And she was so offended by it that she couldn't stop making the face.</p><p>Wufei took another swallow from his own cup before setting it down. "Mari, let's go see the springs, shall we?"</p><p>Laoshi's eyes widened. "Be careful," he advised. "No one does maintenance there anymore.”</p><p>"We'll be careful," she said, very convincingly and calmly, as if he hadn't seen her dive for a swan their first day in England. Wufei had excellent reflexes, though, so Treize wasn't too concerned. "Yes, let's go see them. Is it not creepy by the springs?" She also grabbed a handful of the offending crackers and pocketed them for the walk. </p><p>Treize watched them put on their shoes, silent until the door was closed behind them. "She already has enough to have nightmares about, so we haven't added nanites to the list." He glanced over at Laoshi, trying to gauge what he might say once they didn't need to be so oblique.</p><p>"It's not unreasonable." The man refreshed his cup and offered to do so for Treize with a motion before going ahead and doing so. "We always want to protect the ones we love, no?"</p><p>"Yes. We're not always successful." His track record for that was abysmal, so he could at least try not to make that particular situation worse. "But we can try."</p><p>"There's nothing wrong with that." Laoshi leaned back slightly, watching him. "Tell me what you've discovered thus far."</p><p>"None of the cellular regeneration is self sustaining." So that was nearly a decade of fooling himself on what he'd done with the little bastards. "I had a hint of that when healing in one area caused me to bleed in another. An EMP breaks their cycle of sustainment and some hours later tissue degradation follows. The structural template they're following was modified while I was held by Dekim Barton, which means they're now sustaining continual injury as a new normal, and I have no idea how to reset them." Reciting it was an easy, passionless task, facts and restatement of reality, nothing at all like the reality of them.</p><p>Laoshi nodded and sipped again. "I have not yet seen the code, of course, but I will do what I can. We learned a great deal when we were trying to correct the problems caused by the nanites that were dropped on L5. Wufei, of course, was not affected. He believed that we managed to mitigate the effects and that he therefore could not be allowed out of the clean lab. It was quite the opposite; the nanites we had already used were incompatible with the ones the Alliance chose to infect our population. We thought it was kinder to allow him to believe that he was being protected instead of placing the burden of protection upon him any more heavily than we had already done."</p><p>He reached into his jacket pocket to hand the man a data chip. "I'm afraid I modified his code some years ago for just that reason. We've done blood sample tests with my patch rolled back; my blood lysed instantly, and he immediately realized what you had done. That's... not a conversation you need to have with him anymore."</p><p>"...ah." The pause was nigh audible. "I would be quite interested in seeing the patch. You are a man of many talents." That was undoubtedly true. "I am sorry he had to learn of it in that manner.”</p><p>Treize held out the data card. "It's all there, compressed. Before and after Wufei, the original Alliance coding, what I've done to myself over the years. Their responsiveness to environmental impacts surprised me, so I have a sample of the current code. I just can't find where they're hiding their... reference template." He slouched a little and reached for the tea cup, because contemplating it for any length of time really did set off a spiral of disconnection and unreality; he found the pure pain much more tolerable. "I had a bright idea how to rewrite that, but Wufei won't allow it, and I admit I find it daunting."</p><p>There was something about the man's gaze that made Treize feel nervous, but it wasn't dangerous nerves. It was the kind of nervous he remembered when his mother would gaze at him with disapproval. "I can only imagine what it must be then." He sighed. "You have, I believe, plans for the week? I will go with you. I will spend the week preparing to leave and looking at the code so that we can commence upon my arrival."</p><p>Treize smiled ruefully and took a sip of his tea. "The museums back in the capital, yes. I appreciate your willingness to do this." He was handing the man a huge vulnerability, everything that was holding him together, the keys to the mechanical heartbeat that was keeping him assembled. But he had to.</p><p>"We are all that is left." He'd said that before, but now he spoke slowly, quietly. "I was not one of the clan heirs. Wufei has been taught how to fight and how to be a leader. How to be all of the things one might need in such a person. I will follow him to the ends of my days because this is what we have. This is all that remains. I have known him since he was very young, and I have been one of the people who helped to prepare him for this future. If I were not willing to follow his lead on this, then it would be the same as saying that I have no faith in those who taught him, myself included. And then where are we? No. I believe that we did well, all of the adults who helped to mold him into who he is now. If his choices have led him to you and if he is happy, then I have no wish for him to be otherwise. Helping you is helping him."</p><p>"Good. He's... happy, even if it's sometimes not easy. I'd hate for him to suddenly end up a single parent." He lifted his eyebrows at the man, finishing his tea. "I'm going to see if anyone's fallen into a lake. A week, yes?"</p><p>"A week," Laoshi agreed. "I will drive to the city and meet you at the airport at the appropriate time."</p><p>At least they wouldn't have to drive so deep into the mountains again.</p><p>"Thank you." Just because the man felt obligated by family ties didn't mean that Treize was going to stop thanking him. He paused for a moment, steeled himself, and then stood up, using the wall for support. It felt better to be standing.</p><p>"You are welcome." Laoshi paused. "Be careful near the springs. The waters of Jusenkyo have been cursed for millennia."</p><p>He chuckled as he slipped his hiking boots back on with some work. "Why does this not surprise me?" Nothing surprised him anymore, least of all something being cursed.</p><p>"Turn to the right and you will see the path," he was advised. "It isn't very far."</p><p>He nodded his thanks that time and let himself out. The village was no less unsettling on the way out than it had been on the way in. He found the path and kept his eyes on it, walking with care over uneven ground. Wufei's people must have been a nearly incomprehensible threat to the government in terms of power to have been exiled to a failing colony. He'd read the official documents of course, but he would have to read the colony's own accounts. The discrepancies would be 'interesting', to say the least.</p><p>It was possible that Mariemaia had already read it; he knew that she quite liked history and was fascinated by all of the things someone might have done in the past. They both answered any question put to them, and he had seen her with her head bent over a book, Wufei settled beside her, more than once. </p><p>As he walked, he began to realize he could hear them, even if only faintly, and the conversation was more easily understood the closer he came. "...training and people would fall in. Then they'd be cursed forever to bear the guise of the person who drowned in the pool, but only when doused with cold water."</p><p>"Oh. But why?" She asked why, and Treize wondered 'how', but kept his eyes on the path, and kept walking. A few days of museums would be a very fine distraction for all three of them. </p><p>"I don't know. That's the curse. So we don't go anywhere near the springs normally. That one there? Spring of drowned pig, you would turn into a little black piglet." Wufei made a pig noise and as Treize came into sight he saw Wufei pretending to bite Mariemaia while making the noise. She laughed and squirmed, but they were far enough away from the springs that neither of them would fall in.</p><p>"That's silly!" She was still laughing as Treize wandered up, feeling more relaxed than he had on the drive up. </p><p>"It's probably Ancient technology that was abandoned," Treize said seriously, tilting his head a little as he eased up behind Wufei, slipping his arms around his waist and nuzzling against the back of his neck.</p><p>"But why would anyone want to turn into a little black piglet?" That seemed to be a bit of a sticking point for her.</p><p>Wufei shrugged and leaned back into Treize's grasp. "It's a curse. Maybe it was so that you could get rid of your enemies."</p><p>"Turn them into something harmless," he agreed, trying to make sure he didn't accidentally imply his next thought -- and provide a food source.</p><p>Wufei snorted. "That's one explanation."</p><p>Mariemaia gave the springs a look of pure interest. "More like barbecue."</p><p>"Mmh, you know, I was trying very hard not to say that." He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feeling of Wufei leaning back against him. "He'll join us at the end of the week. I gave him the data chip."</p><p>"Good." He didn't have to see Wufei's face to see the relief there. "That should help our project significantly. And then some. So, Mari!" Wufei's hands clapped together. "Shall we go back to see Laoshi and say goodbye? And then tomorrow, museums."</p><p>"Yes. What are we doing tonight?" Treize loosened his hold, and opened his eyes. </p><p>"Dinner someplace adventurous, I think," he said.</p><p>Wufei's look was amused. "Chinese adventurous or European adventurous?"</p><p>"Whatever passes for adventurous for a local." He liked the jaunty look on Wufei's face. "This is your chance to school us Europeans."</p><p>"Sure. We can manage that." And right, they should look forward to something quite obscure and odd, Treize thought. It would be delightful and possibly strange, so they should stop somewhere and stock up on snacks on the way back just in case one of them decided that adventurous was <em>too</em> adventurous.</p><p>If nothing else, at least it would be interesting.</p>
<hr/><p>"Have you seen my datapad?" Wufei asked, shoving a pen into his hair and twisting until it would stay, then stabbing it through to keep it held in a messy bun. "I'm pretty sure it was in here, but you cleared out a few things and it isn't where I thought it was.”</p><p>"You were reading last night," Treize said, looking up from his soldering project after a moment. He slid it over to Wufei. "Just grab mine, I'm going to focus on this for a while." Laoshi had banned them both from the workshop while he did something with a few sample nanites and a small skin punch from both their forearms. Wufei was pleased that Treize obeyed without protest and decamped to the kitchen table.</p><p>"Ah, right." He usually had one in his study and one by the bed, but he'd packed the one from his study to take to China and when he had unpacked, he'd left it on the nightstand. "Thanks, yours is fine." Half of their data overlapped anyway, and Wufei was only planning on reading while the kettle boiled.</p><p>Treize didn't care, and Wufei had never come across anything that bothered him, except that the man seemed to have a flat filing system that hinged on him remembering what a file was called while simultaneously being a data hoarder.</p><p>Wufei tried to stay out of the old photographs. That way lay insanity and files named <em>RenderedImage(1).png</em> and <em>asdoiwerqkwefm.jpg</em>. No one needed to contemplate how he remembered what things were called, and no one needed to see the pictures of how young they all were when they first started active military careers. It was disconcerting for him.</p><p>Zechs had rather looked like a very skinny Quatre in a military uniform, and Treize had rather looked like Mariemaia but less delicate, and after a few photos of what he could only guess were barracks and trees, he knew that there was nothing to find in those badly named files except nostalgia and regret. And sometimes schematics. </p><p>The kettle had almost boiled, and Treize had wandered off to find Wufei didn't know what. Possibly the bathroom because the soldering iron was off, and then an incoming call came up on the datapad.</p><p>With a flick of his fingers, he answered and raised the pad. "Oh, hello, Dorothy. How're things in the political world of the ESUN president?"</p><p>She wore an expression of deep concern, and seemed less than pleased that he was the one who answered. <em>"Oh, Wufei. Is my dear cousin available?"</em></p><p>"He wandered off a few minutes ago and left his soldering iron, so he could be almost anywhere by now." That was a little worrisome in all honesty. "What can I help you with?"</p><p><em>"I'm not sure. I need to talk to my cousin about your last... vacation, to China. Nothing to worry about."</em> It hadn't been until she had said that particular phrase.</p><p>"No, it isn't. Why are you worrying about it? I go to check on Laoshi off and on during the year." Wufei wasn't sure if Treize would want her to know the rest of the reason they had gone.</p><p><em>"Mmm, has he talked to you about our, hmn, agreement?"</em> Apparently she assumed they didn't talk at all, just possibly fucked all day. Wufei wasn't sure what she was expecting.</p><p>"Of course, he isn't supposed to be building any mobile suits or doing anything that might indicate he's going for a revolutionary coup, and he isn't. Laoshi has nothing to do with Treize trying to take over the world." He'd roll his eyes but he didn't feel that would be helpful.</p><p>
  <em>"Then why has he moved onto the manor's property? He's a Gundam designer."</em>
</p><p>Now he couldn't stop the roll of his eyes. "Yes. Yes, he was. He's also an amazing engineer and we're the last members of the Liung Clan. He's... not quite my uncle, but something close?" He'd have to ask Treize if he wanted Dorothy to know about the nanites. Until he said yes, it was none of her business as far as Wufei was concerned.</p><p>She was looking at him as though he'd lost his mind. <em>"I'm afraid I just can't, this is an impossible to believe story..."</em></p><p>He heard Treize's footsteps as he crossed the stone floor from the Green Diamond Room into the tile of the kitchen. "I thought I heard voices. Oh, hello, Dorothy."</p><p>Wufei gave a hefty sigh. "She thinks we're building Gundams and planning to take over the world because Laoshi is here."</p><p>"Oh." He sounded amused, and moved to stand beside Wufei, leaning into the frame slightly. "Laoshi is here helping us with a programming challenge. With the nanites. I'm afraid I had to throw in the towel because I'm in over my head."</p><p>Ah, that was for the best, then. "I wasn't sure how much you knew about that," Wufei told her. "But yes. It's his specialty, in fact. If you had just asked as much, I could have said."</p><p>"They're originally the same nanites the Alliance released on L5," Treize added glibly. "So he'd had a lot of experience mitigating their ill effects, more than anyone. I don't think there's a need to make a fuss about and possibly reopen old wounds, though if someone wishes to discuss it with me at length..." He let that linger.</p><p>Wufei saw the way Dorothy sighed and leaned back in her chair. <em>"Honestly. You might have mentioned that you were having problems."</em> Her mouth curved downward, scowling. <em>"Are you going to be all right?"</em></p><p>"You're a busy woman," Treize said, voice slightly solicitous, "and my medical challenges are beyond tedious even to me. Wufei had an excellent idea of enlisting help before I mutilated myself, and I hadn't thought to mention it to you. I'm rather grateful that a man I once imprisoned is well inclined enough to Wufei to help."</p><p>Humming in agreement, Wufei shifted the datapad slightly. "You can check if you like. Laoshi and I are in fact the only ones left so we will cross paths now and again, almost certainly not in any way you might consider suspicious."</p><p><em>"This looks very suspicious and was flagged to me to deal with."</em> She seemed irritated now that it had been.</p><p>"Yes, well, I'm sorry if my poorly performing nanites have caused you undue hardship." The words left Treize's mouth with no suggestion of the scorn or sarcasm that they deserved to be spun with.</p><p>Sometimes, Wufei had questions about their entire family in its weird cobbled together state. Mostly he tried not to ask them because he was fairly certain that he did not want to know more about the Catalonias or the Khushrenadas. "In any case, is that all of the information you need? It's nothing nefarious. We needed assistance and there was a natural history museum in Lanzhou so we could take Mariemaia."</p><p>She still looked displeased, but also oddly relieved. "I'll be sending you an invitation to an event in Luxembourg for Saint Nicholas's Day. Make sure you're in a presentable state and you can flog your scientific foundation to your heart's content."</p><p>"I'll endeavor to do my best."</p><p>"Wear a civilian suit and your medals."</p><p>Now Treize made a noise like a laugh. "I never drew them from supply."</p><p>Wufei was unsurprised when Dorothy grinned and he could practically see the determination. <em>"Then I'll have a set waiting for you."</em> Well. That would probably be a fight until the end of time, at a guess.</p><p>Treize sighed, and Wufei felt him slouch slightly, leaning his ass back against the kitchen table. "Yes. I will be there. Perhaps with medals. Message received, please let me know if there's anything else I should know in advance."</p><p>He wasn't surprised when the video link flicked into black. "What do you suppose she thinks we do all the time?" Wufei asked. "Is it nothing but sex and, I don't know. More sex?"</p><p>"We do have a healthy amount of sex, but what I walked in on sounded condescending even for Dorothy." Treize's mouth was a flat blank line, which was as close as Wufei ever seen to an honestly angry expression.</p><p>Wufei blinked at him and then shrugged. "I don't know, I made it out of the situation with both kidneys. That's more than Quatre managed, so I think I'll take it as a success."</p><p>It obviously distracted Treize from whatever line of thought he's been down, as he looked up from the blank screen to Wufei. "Quatre's kidneys?"</p><p>"Oh, yes." He nodded. "They were both logged into ZERO while fighting and she stabbed him. Since it was in the middle of a battle, it ended up being impossible to save his kidney."</p><p>“I missed that." He'd probably already been dead by then, but his mouth was tipping more toward thoughtfulness as he continued to lean back against the kitchen table. "He doesn't seem to hold any ill will; I suppose it's pointless even if he wanted to."</p><p>Wufei picked up the datapad and started to flick through it again. "Mmm, well. I think we're all fairly well decided there's no point in holding a grudge. Almost everyone switched sides at some point. It was very confusing and," he admitted, "vaguely incestuous."</p><p>"Still." Still, Treize seemed unhappy with his cousin's assumptions. "Ah well. Something to work on. How do you feel about being put on the diplomacy circuit?"</p><p>Ugh. He was fairly certain that he was making a face that told him exactly how he felt about it. "I suppose I like you enough to put up with it."</p><p>Treize's mouth curled into a smile at the edges, and his expression lost a little of the disengagement it had had while talking to Dorothy. Yes, they needed to talk about Treize's relatives some day, but not on any day where he wanted to achieve anything more pressing than getting out of bed. "Whatever filtered up to her from her people bothered her enough for a direct call; this is my chance to quash whatever rumors they might be putting out there. Best to do it before rumor becomes fact."</p><p>"You realize that she'll probably have custom made medals for you whenever we show up in Luxembourg, yes?" Might as well acknowledge it because she damned sure would.</p><p>Treize crossed his legs loosely in front of him, and then his arms across his chest, sighing. "Out of spite so she can be sure I properly play act at the tamed, ESUN loyal retired military officer as she envisions it. And she either expects you not to attend, or to... fit a role." Of the younger, pretty kept man, and the idea hit Wufei with as much distaste as it was clearly leaving Treize with.</p><p>"Ah, yes. The kept man, the arm candy here to delight all of the wives and have the other men look on, scandalized." It was actually a little funny when he considered it, but it had never been on his list of fun things to be.</p><p>"You're an actual business person," Treize said, as if ‘business person' was akin to ‘car' or ‘Gundam', and perhaps in his head it was. "You could take an event like that and turn it to your purposes as Mr. Winner does." With or without two kidneys.</p><p>"I suspect you have a fair notion of how to tip the lot of them on their ears, so let's have it, then. What would you like to do about it?"</p><p>His smile was slow, and reached the corners of his eyes, because he was clearly pleased with himself. "You have a long business career in front of you while I plan to run a research charity and burn holes in the kitchen table when it amuses me. Which one sounds like the kept man?"</p><p>Leaning in, Wufei tilted his chin upwards and stole a kiss, amused at the idea. "Ah, you'll make a lovely trophy wife." And then some, because he was certainly lovely enough to look at in Wufei's opinion and that was the only one that mattered.</p><p>"It will keep them confused." And turn what could have been a slog into something fun for both of them. It would still be a slog, but at least the smiles they would have to plaster on might be semi-genuine. Treize unfolded his arms to let his hands linger at Wufei's waist. Wufei could feel the faint spasm of his left hand, but he was using it more around the house again, less self conscious in their private space. "I've distracted you from your reading."</p><p>"Enjoyably enough, yes. It's a proposal Quatre sent on a potential investment. It can wait." Everything could wait if it meant keeping Treize right where he was.</p><p>Treize lifted his chin slightly, studying Wufei as he tugged him marginally closer. "You're very good to me. Perhaps there won't be much playacting needed at all for Luxembourg."</p><p>"Hmm, we're good to one another." Wufei tucked his head beneath Treize's chin and settled into his embrace. "Which is as it should be." For a moment, he just relaxed there and enjoyed the embrace. "Are there any other difficult subjects we should approach while we're at it?"</p><p>"I'm enjoying this pile on technique we've developed." Treize inhaled slowly, and exhaled, fingers traveling up Wufei's back. "Mariemaia." Who would need to be picked up from school soon, and who Treize had offered to pick up now that he was starting to drive again when he felt well. "Would you be, uh. Interested in some formal custody arrangement? Adoption."</p><p>Oh. Oh, that wasn't something he was expecting to hear or be offered. Not exactly. "Do you think she would mind?" If he felt a little meek asking the question, well. He would get over that in short order.</p><p>"No. I think she's a little more fond of you than me." That was teasing and not teasing at the same time. He was enjoying the rise and fall of Treize's chest, probably as much as Treize enjoyed having him lean in. "I couldn't do this without you. We'd be living in a flat somewhere in Brussels and I'd be a drunk melodramatic and it would be hell."</p><p>And what was there to do with that except laugh?</p>
<hr/><p>There was just something about mass catering that never changed when it came to any sort of gathering, political or awards banquets or... well, anything. There was almost universally some form of bland bean, a starch that was even more bland than that, a baked fish or chicken that desperately needed salt, and bread of some variety. It was always boring, always bland, and sometimes -- if one were truly lucky -- it was overshadowed by the richness of the desserts.</p><p>And, of course, the unending barely drinkable well wine, which was the only thing that made the bland dinner and rolls tolerable. Still, he was there for the opportunities to open new business doors, and he might as well at least pretend to enjoy it. Pretend being the operative word, in Wufei's opinion.</p><p>There was always the fun of finding the right table and the name card, as well. At least they had gotten an email with the table assignment, so that did make it a bit easier. "I wonder who'll be seated with us." He hoped it would be someone useful.</p><p>"We'll find out shortly," Treize said, sweeping his name card off of his own place, and pocketing it before he pulled out Wufei's chair out of habit. They were early and had slipped in a back door, but that was mostly to avoid any press of the crowd outside. It was a large event, and Treize hadn't been joking when he'd said that. There would be any number of people present from all over the world, and Wufei was already dreading how boring it would probably be.</p><p>"What are these?" Wufei leaned in and picked up the cards in the center of the table. "Huh. Interesting."</p><p>"What's that?" Treize's voice pitched toward curiosity as he glanced at Wufei in what seemed to be part of an alert scanning of the room, taking in the layout.</p><p>He waved one at Treize. "They're conversation starters. <em>What is the most interesting historical period?</em> and <em>What do you want to do before you die?</em>, that sort of thing. It seems pretty harmless."</p><p>Treize leaned back in his chair, one eyebrow cocked at the idea, and then he glanced toward the far end of the hall where there were a couple of younger women staffers talking among themselves. "First time I've ever seen that here; certainly can't make it worse than it was when it was a Romefeller event."</p><p>"I've never seen anything like it, either." He shrugged and put an elbow on the table. "Maybe we should have arrived a little later, but I do like being first here as well. Better to gain the advantage."</p><p>"Better not to be an assassination target in a large crowd." The door through which they had slipped in opened again, a distant sound, and Wufei half caught sight of Relena slipping in, heading toward a different table. If he were Dorothy, he would have planted a loyalist at every table and that seemed to be the technique. They weren't alone for long; Noin to another table, and then Sally, and other familiar faces from the Preventers, scattered at random, and then staff, and finally the main doors were flung open.</p><p>Wufei reached up and snagged Treize's hand, kissing the knuckles idly because he wanted to and he enjoyed kissing him in all ways. "So, do you think we'll have anyone interesting?" They could have looked at the name cards, but the curiosity was at least half of the fun for both of them.</p><p>No matter what strangeness was going on inside his partner's head, he softened and relaxed at a touch in all but the very worst circumstances. "Without question. My hope is that these are people who are interesting and useful to you, rather than people that I will find entertaining for probably the wrong reasons." And they would probably be people who were somewhat favored by ESUN just as the people who were seated with Relena would be. Or maybe they needed to be talked around -- it was hard to anticipate Dorothy's motives.</p><p>"If we're lucky, it will be both." Wufei grinned at him and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Mariemaia had insisted that he leave it down. Duo had agreed, but had pushed Wufei onto the settee in their suite and had promptly thrown together a quick lace braid before pinning it in place so that one side fell loose. He was simultaneously annoyed by it and weirdly charmed. He couldn't decide which one he felt the most.</p><p>They didn't have to wait long for someone to join them; a younger completely bald man in a simple clean tuxedo with a gorgeous brunette in a painted on red formal gown that cut up to her hip on one side. He circled the table, and his brain and mouth seemed to turn on at the same time, because he had a surprised sort of squint across his face, lips parted in surprise. "I, Your Excellency."</p><p>"Ah, no, let's not do that." Treize turned his smile up a little brighter, and Wufei could see the gears changing in his head. "Treize will be sufficient, otherwise conversations will drag. And this is my partner, Chang Wufei."</p><p>"Hello," Wufei greeted, leaning back in his chair and letting his arm drape across the back of Treize's, hand squeezing his shoulder. "You're Lex Luthor, I think?" Definitely familiar, that face, but mostly because Wufei had just seen an article about his company going international. It had been quite well-written, on the whole. "I was just reading about your company going global."</p><p>"Yes, just making the transition, and of course there are already a large number of competing companies." The man pulled out a chair for the tightly dressed woman. "And this is Doctor Helen Bryce, also from Metropolis in New Canada."</p><p>"A pleasure to meet you both. General."</p><p>She was certainly a delight to see, Wufei had to admit. Just because he didn't want to sleep with anyone until he knew them didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate a well-dressed human of either sex as being visibly enjoyable. "Well, good luck with your expansion. I'm sure you'll do well internationally."</p><p>"You, ah, have a company, or...?" The man seated himself, and was smiling in a practiced way that only vaguely covered his nerves while another couple walked up to their table. Yes, they were all going to have to introduce themselves multiple times and he might even have his patter down by the end.</p><p>Ah, well. They would make it through the night, awkwardly or otherwise. "Yes, actually. Mostly tech and similar fields, but some mining and other things. Nezha Corp out of China."</p><p>A single man walked up, picked up the place card to Treize's other side, and looked surprised. "Ah, I've heard of them!" Lex declared, oblivious and absorbed. "I always think these companies are some faceless monolith owned by a board of directors." Lex was looking pleased, leaning in toward Wufei with interest as Wufei glanced at a couple of men who just looked like...</p><p>Oh god, it was one of his literature professors.</p><p>Naturally it would have to be the pickiest asshole of the lot, the one who violently disagreed with him about <em>Goblin Market</em>. Ugh. "No, no, there's a board of directors, more or less, but they answer to me and I try to keep my fingers in all of the pies. One of them actually called me about your company."</p><p>"Mr. <em>Chang</em>. You disappeared in the middle of the spring semester, and then I find you <em>here</em>." The man was as sour faced, and pale as ever, short cropped black hair, and his partner, who was looking terribly campy in a green tuxedo, pulled on his arm as if to get him to shut up.</p><p>"Darling, honestly, don't badger the poor man, obviously he had better things to do than fight with you over psychoanalytic criticism versus new criticism." One hand waved at Treize. "I know very well you understand that, in any case.</p><p>Wufei hummed. "Yes, well. Unfortunately, there was a family emergency. As you can see."</p><p>Treize gave a quiet chuckle as he leaned slightly into Wufei's arm, and looked at the man standing at the side to his right who seemed to be stunned. "Hello, and you were in what unit?" Clearly it was a type of stunned expression Treize knew.</p><p>"Eighth New Canada Air Regiment, United Earth Sphere Alliance. Captain John Sheppard," the man replied, and he still appeared surprised even as he held out his hand to shake Treize's. "It's nice to see you, General. Can't say I ever thought I might."</p><p>"It rather surprised me, as well," he said, smoothly shaking the man's hand. "Sit down, please, Captain. Where did you serve?"</p><p>Wufei wondered what he had done to deserve this. "I am sorry, Professor. Unfortunately, it truly was an emergency, and now I have a ten year old daughter added into the mix, so I'm not sure when or if I'll manage to return."</p><p>"Oxford. You bailed out on <span class="u">Oxford</span>," the man repeated, as if it was the single most important thing in the world, but at least they were sitting down.</p><p>Luthor looked like he was going to bust a gut if he didn't laugh soon, and the officer to Treize's right would provide more than adequate distraction for his partner, but his bloody <em>worst</em> professor.</p><p>With a huffy sigh, his mousy blond partner offered Wufei his hand. "Hello. I'm Darius Mallory, I do research with Mallon, and I live with this obnoxious man. You've been on his radar ever since you walked out of his class, my absolute apologies. He detests it when someone abandons him."</p><p>Politely, Wufei took it and was unsurprised when he ended up holding his fingers instead, almost as if he expected someone to kiss it as opposed to shake it. That wasn't happening, because primarily no but secondarily his professor was making a terrifying face, and that was saying something. </p><p>He let go and leaned back, resuming his previous comfortable position. "Sorry, Captain, just a -- Wufei was rather busy helping me be repatriated back here to Earth, so Oxford or no, I think this is a topic best dropped," Treize suggested just as another couple walked up.</p><p>"Good evening, gentlemen." The speaker was a man who seemed older, his dark hair only lightly sprinkled with grey hair -- significantly more than Wufei but somewhat less than Treize -- although his face was weatherbeaten and lined. "And lady." That greeting was directed at Dr. Bryce so presumably the woman with him was his wife.</p><p>"Our apologies, my husband dislikes social gatherings as do I. We had thought to put it off as long as possible." Well. That was forthright enough.</p><p>Darius made a sound of protest. "But they're so delightful, Aunt Amelia. And in any case, I thought you were both in Egypt." He turned toward the rest of the table. "Purely an honorary title, I assure you. We were neighbors of Walter and Evelyn Emerson and I played with their children when we were small."</p><p>"I'm afraid I didn't catch your titles." Treize's tone was warm, welcoming, and perhaps glad that the table would now be a known quantity rather than a guessing game. "I'm Treize Khushrenada, and this is my partner, businessman Chang Wufei. And this is Captain John Sheppard, Eighth New Canada Air Regiment, UESA, also with Sheppard Energy."</p><p>"Nice to meet you," Sheppard drawled, fiddling with his cloth napkin. </p><p>"Sheppard, eh?" The man (who still hadn't introduced either himself or the lady with him) stroked the cleft in his chin. "Hmph. You supply part of the Valley with power these days."</p><p>His wife appeared slightly exasperated, but only just barely. "Oh, Emerson. Do introduce us."</p><p>"Oh, right, yes. Dr. Radcliffe Emerson and, naturally, my wife, Dr. Amelia Peabody Emerson."</p><p>The lady, dressed in a deep dark red that was more modestly cut than Dr. Bryce's dress, gave them a regal nod as her husband pulled out her chair and neatly assisted her to sit. "Good evening, gentleman, young lady. I'm sure you're all aware that my husband is the preeminent archaeologist of this or any other time, so I shan't bore you with the details."</p><p>Wufei thought privately that was quite unlikely. He'd never met an archaeologist who didn't want to talk to someone about their current project unless it was to quite passionately argue about someone else's previous project.</p><p>Darius waved a hand to Wufei's ex-professor. "As you know, I'm Darius Mallory of Mallon, and this is my partner, Professor Sam Schreiber."</p><p>"Lex Luthor, and Doctor Helen Bryce," Lex introduced with an extra broad smile cast to Wufei as if to say <em>'Can you believe this shit?'</em> in that particular way only new Canadians could.</p><p>Quite unfortunately, he could.</p><p>"I can't say I've ever met an archeologist," Treize said lightly, while the wait staff started to circulate with rolls. "What do you do?"</p><p>That set off an absolute waterfall of information that managed to get them through until they were interrupted with the salad course. Wufei wasn't entirely sure if Treize regretted asking the question or not, but most of their table seemed more than up to contributing to the conversation and keeping it going, even if some of them sidled off into side conversations.</p><p>Treize was left mostly in silence, listening and not having to talk, so Wufei had his suspicions as to his lover's complete lack of regret while he focused on not dropping the silverware.</p><p>"Since I'm just starting out in the international arena," Lex said, eyeing Wufei. "Do you have any words of wisdom?"</p><p>Wufei thought about it for a long moment. "Always have reliable quaternary backups that no one can access but yourself, know upon whom you can rely without question, and never get involved in a land war in Asia about covers it, I think." </p><p>Lex laughed, and it sounded like a relaxed, real response as he sipped at his wine. "Didn't OZ beat the Alliance in Asia? Not sure it counts as a land war, though."</p><p>And quite suddenly it struck Wufei that it wasn't funny at all, and that he had started it. </p><p>"Ah, no politics, please," Treize broke in, possibly the first words out of his mouth since he'd asked what an archeologist did. "Most units crossed lines they regret, and it isn't polite dinner conversation for anyone who was involved. I'm sorry. Ah, Emerson, have you run into much Ancient technology in your work?"</p><p>The gentleman pulled a pipe from his pocket and clenched it between his teeth, although he made no effort to light it. It seemed to be an ingrained response of some sort as he leaned back and began to expostulate on a number of interesting artifacts that they had discovered when they had found the tomb of Queen Tetisheri. His wife interrupted him now and again to add a tidbit in between what was obviously an enjoyable conversation with Captain Sheppard.</p><p>"My apologies," Wufei offered to Lex quietly. "I was at Oxford. The quote was from a book I read, not meant to be taken seriously at all."</p><p>"Like most of your studies," Sam deadpanned, with ice obvious in his voice.</p><p>Right. "I'm running a multinational company, raising a ten year old, and helping my partner through rehab. And that's just starting the list," Wufei informed him. "I read for fifteen minutes in bed before I pass out and the datapad falls on my face. Forgive me, Professor."</p><p>Beneath the table, he felt Treize's hand on his leg -- not a warning gesture, but a warming gesture, lingering and halfway up his thigh. "Being dead has been challenging, Professor Schreiber. I'm afraid I've taken up all of Wufei's free time, completely diverted him from the academic path."</p><p>"I haven't abandoned the notion entirely. I just haven't got the time right now, I'm afraid."</p><p>It was obvious when Darius elbowed his partner in the ribs. He also cast a glance at him from underneath his lashes.</p><p>Wufei caught Dr. Bryce looking thoughtful, like she was about to say something, but Treize turned his attention back to Emerson and re-engaged with the man as smoothly as he'd disengaged. She turned her question to Wufei instead, probably with an ear toward Treize jumping back in at any moment. His left hand was still lingering on Wufei's thigh. "What kind of rehabilitation program have you been following, Mr. Chang? He looks to be in excellent health."</p><p>Wufei thought about it. "When we started, I had no idea what we were doing. He was having some difficulty with his left side following injuries during the Eve War, and finding him alive was, to be frank, quite unexpected. So at first we just cobbled together resistance training and tried to get him moving, but later we went on to combine some neurological and orthopedic exercises with the help of a local physical therapist. Most days he does quite well, actually. He's even running again, with the therapist's blessing, of course."</p><p>"That's... astonishing. I'd..." Helen paused for a moment, setting her wine glass down. "We talk about these things in the medical message boards, speculating from the first images released, what might have happened, what the neurological implications were, work we'd done with other survivors of the last battles. You know how any profession is, it's all speculation and gossip, but this is... There's something satisfying to find out it was just hard work."</p><p>"That took you out of <span class="u">Oxford</span>."</p><p>"Sam. I will never take you anywhere again if you don't stop."</p><p>Wufei chuckled. It was laugh or cry, he supposed. "A lot of very hard work. I won't pretend there haven't been discouraging moments, but..." He glanced at Treize, and he couldn't help the way he looked at him. Wufei was fairly certain that it was written all over his face for everyone to see, and he didn't care. "I think it was worth it. Even," he added, "having to leave Oxford." Clearly he would have to find the time to go back or he'd never hear the end of it. He was fairly certain the good professor would stalk him down just to give him scathing commentary on how he had left <span class="u">Oxford</span> for whatever he happened to be doing.</p><p>Sam snorted, but that seemed to finally be the end of it. Treize stroked idly at his leg underneath the table, and he clearly had stopped listening because the man who was chewing on an unlit pipe was talking about Goa'uld and gods, and Treize seemed immensely pleased with what he'd unleashed.</p><p>The wait staff interrupted all of them by asking if they preferred fish or chicken and refilling everyone's wine and water glasses. "What're, sir, if you don't mind, what're you doing in retirement?" Sheppard asked in the break as plates were swapped on them. </p><p>"Funding scientific research," he said with a gleam in his eyes, looking rather specifically at Wufei when he said it. "In fact, L2 has a rather interesting energy challenge that perhaps I could send you documentation on."</p><p>"Ahhh, yes. Meredith's on that," Wufei agreed, and then grinned. "You'd like him. He's here somewhere, I'm pretty sure." If he wasn't, then Dorothy probably had him cuffed to her bed somewhere and might not let him go, but eh. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it. "I'm fairly certain everyone he's sent for further discussion meets the second criteria."</p><p>It gained him a surprised, pleased chuckle from Treize. "You know, you're right. I'm afraid this particular project, if Sheppard Energy actually would be interested, has a virulent atheist as the project lead, and I wouldn't change it for the world."</p><p>Dr. Emerson cleared his throat and for a second Wufei wondered if they'd offended him with their talk of atheism but it was clear that he quite approved. "Yes, yes, indeed. Much better to send atheists up there to that religious lot or they'll all be up in arms again and there'll be another massacre. Understanding, of course, that the largest of them was political blather as opposed to their usual religious gobbledygook. There's been enough fighting between their various different believers that more people have died of that than the plagues, and that's saying something."</p><p>Indeed it was.</p><p>"Well," Captain Sheppard drawled, "I would hate to miss out on something that sounds fairly interesting." And oh, it was clear that running Sheppard Energy just wasn't enough for him. Maybe he ought to suggest him to Sally and Noin. They needed bright and daring and experienced, and Treize would tell them what the man's unit had or hadn't done with the precision of someone who had been moving all the pieces across the board.</p><p>To include a land war in Asia.</p><p>Treize fished a business card out of his pocket using his right hand and offered it to the man. "Drop me a line, I'll connect you to some interesting people. Particularly if you want to go out into space."</p><p>"There's nothing else quite like it," Wufei noted. "A thin shell between you and a hard vacuum is disconcerting and terrifying for some people. Either you love it or you don't." He glanced at Treize. "We love it, but I think we're quite happy to keep both our feet on solid ground."</p><p>"Mm, quite enough near-miss exposure to hard vacuum for one lifetime." Treize's voice turned wry, taking a swig of water. </p><p>"Space, huh?" Sheppard seemed fascinated with the idea, twirling the card in his hand. "I was a helo pilot..."</p><p>Wufei hummed. "That's unusual, all things considered." Almost everyone had piloted actual mobile suits, not helicopters. It wasn't unusual to know how to fly all of them, the Gundam pilots certainly did, but it was unusual to specify.</p><p>"It was," Sheppard agreed. "Resupply and rescue missions, mostly. You can't evac wounded in a mech, so..." He made a hand gesture that Wufei took to be a helicopter coming in or something like. </p><p>"No, you can barely fit a person in one," Treize agreed. "We experimented with two man systems but the additional size weakened the cockpit structure... detrimentally."</p><p>Darius mildly offered, "Oh," as an interjection. "Aunt Amelia, didn't Ramses do something like that? The helicopter flying thing?"</p><p>She tipped her head to the side thoughtfully. "Yes, dear. The question, to be quite honest, is what life-threatening adventure Ramses has not decided to take on. He and Neferet and David are all in Monta Verde, you know. They've located a new cache of Ancient technology, and since they have all been trained in my dear Emerson's methods and David is, of course, magnificently well-known for his interpretation of the particular Ancient styles identified during the era to which the cache seems to date, they were quite in demand for the project."</p><p>"I'm, I'm sorry, your children do what?" Dr Bryce asked and that, Wufei decided, would probably see them right through to the dessert course.</p><p>"So," Wufei offered to Lex as the rest of the table was safely diverted onto archaeology and art styles and Frank Lloyd Wright, "how far are you planning to expand? Most of my business interests are in Asia and the Middle East but we have branches on every continent."</p><p>"I've formally started to make deals here in Europe. I've found getting a foothold in Asia has been hard. I have some contacts in Montevideo who were going to help, but it never panned out. The United States has been my best expansion area so far, but I'm also seen as an interloper on other's 'territory'."</p><p>Wufei nodded. "Ahh, yes. Well. The New United States is a tricky place to navigate. So many raw materials, but they're insular for a place so large. After centuries of government overthrow and the destruction of the better part of the Amazon, they're reluctant to let anyone in, even if it's financially beneficial. I have offices there, but expansion has been significantly slower."</p><p>"Yes, but you have offices there," Lex pointed out. "It took me a year and a half to even get a permit to operate."</p><p>"It took a while," Wufei admitted. It probably hadn't taken him as long as some because he was lucky enough to work with Quatre on some things and that had gotten him in when nothing else had. "But just be patient. Hard to do sometimes, I'll admit, and it does help to have business partners with resources already allocated there."</p><p>"I'm terrible at being patient," Lex grinned, "but I'll have to learn. New Canada is a great place to go if you want to join in on a real business Wild West." New Canada made him think of logging and Meredith, without fail, every time.</p><p>Somehow, he managed to keep the smirk off of his mouth. "Is that an invitation?" </p><p>"Yes, actually. I'd love to show you Metropolis and introduce you to our version of this." He gestured to the space around them.</p><p>Raising his hand, Wufei offered it to Lex and they shook. "We'll set up a meeting. After that, we'll see how it goes."</p><p>"Excellent." Lex's handshake was firm, relaxed. He was charming, charming in the way Wufei was well accustomed to, the kind of charming that hid the wheels and trap doors of a bright mind. He was going to have to do a lot of research before any sort of meeting. "Excellent. And no rush, sometime next year. I imagine the upcoming holidays are a chance for you to unwind after this year."</p><p>He could almost hear his former professor telepathically added <em>after you dropped out of <span class="u">Oxford</span></em> to the end of that sentence.</p><p>There was nothing for it. He'd have to entrust some of his business dealings to Treize and re-enroll for fall or he'd have that in his head for eternity. "Depending on how things go, it may be a slower process than either of us would like," Wufei advised Lex. "But we can go over that when we meet, I think." He absolutely refused to allow Professor Schreiber the satisfaction of announcing his return tonight.</p><p>The man already knew he'd successfully struck a nerve, even if his partner had cowed him into finally keeping his mouth shut. </p><p>It was an opening for a normal sort of comment, and Dr. Bryce was proving to be the most level, normal person at the table when she spoke. "I know what the holidays look like back home -- charity balls and over the top parties that everyone regrets, and silent auctions that everyone regrets even more. Do you do a lot of that excess over here?"</p><p>Rolling his shoulders, Wufei leaned forward. "I honestly have no idea. I'm colony-born and most of our celebrations weren't the same as the ones here, culturally speaking. And even once I started living on Earth, I was still celebrating the holidays of my youth if I celebrated at all. I've usually been studying or on my own until this season."</p><p>"Oh." Darius did prefer to start conversations that way. Perhaps he thought it was more polite than just interrupting. "Goodness, yes, although it's not always regrettable. That's how I met Sam, actually, at a silent auction. I'm not entirely sure why he was even there, actually." He frowned. "Or I don't remember. There might have been a significant amount of wine involved."</p><p>"There was a rare book for sale, but there was also a significant amount of wine involved," Sam deadpanned. "I... I'm almost afraid to ask how you came across His Excellency, Wufei. Or he came across you?"</p><p>"Ah, we met on a ship, actually," Wufei offered blandly. "In person, in any case. Certainly I had heard of him before that, but after we met it was difficult to let it go, I suppose. So we met again, was it that time in Brussels?" He turned to Treize to find his eyes on him. "I think it was Brussels. And when we crossed paths again in Luxembourg, it became quite clear that our futures would become entangled, and here we are."</p><p>Treize's expression was relaxed, and there was no telling how long he'd been watching Wufei. "I'm grateful that I infuriated him enough with my mere existence that he kept coming back." And that spoke much closer to the reality as it had been, completely incomprehensible and enraging, and only recently had the man started to make sense. And that was probably because Wufei had spent too long with him, knew him too well for it not to make sense. In context.</p><p>"Hmn, you always did enjoy <em>Jane Eyre</em>," Professor Schreiber muttered. "So is it <em>Jane Eyre</em> or <em>Wide Sargasso Sea</em>?"</p><p>He didn't expect Treize to have a remark in response, because he was never sure what Treize had or hadn't read. "Oh, <em>Jane Eyre</em>. Lady Une and unfortunately Zechs Marquise, both. So the attic was bare by the time I met Wufei."</p><p>"No one but us to set anything on fire," Wufei agreed. "And I think there was enough of that before, so once I realized he was alive, there was nothing else to do but find him again."</p><p>"Hmph," Dr. Emerson the masculine muttered, pipe stem clenched in his teeth, continuing unlit. "Sounds like just the sort of romantic notion that you delight in, my dear."</p><p>"Clearly," Dr. Emerson the feminine informed him, "they are as delightfully in love as are we. It is quite wonderful to see other people who are as affectionate."</p><p>Clearly the mention of two dead insane lovers had finally stopped Professor Schreiber in his tracks, and it was an odd way to feel a victory. But it was certainly a victory to watch the man try to process that verbal parry. </p><p>"Most people don't get multiple chances," Sheppard commented. "Can't waste them."</p><p>Darius gently patted Sam's shoulder. "Excellent <em>Wide Sargasso Sea</em> reference, love. Quite delightful."</p><p>"In any case," Wufei declared, "I believe I see dessert incoming. I'm sure we'll all be glad to see that, and perhaps they'll get all of the speeches behind us and we can get to the further drinking and dancing afterward."</p><p>"Here's to hoping the speeches are short." Treize shifted slightly in the chair, slouching to relieve whatever discomfort he was feeling. He looked damn good in his tux, even if Wufei had thought he was going to put the medals right into the trash, after the drinking and dancing, Wufei was looking forward to going to bed.</p><p>Thank god they had a suite and their bedroom door had a lock. If they were quite fortunate, they'd even be able to keep quiet.</p><p>That statement was met with raucous agreement. "Here, here!" It got them a handful of looks; whether those looks were unimpressed or just curious, who could say?</p><p>"Here, here," Wufei murmured, and tilted a look at Treize. Yes. Dessert and dancing and bed seemed like a perfect ending to the evening.</p>
<hr/><p>The neimënster has been decked out in soft warm led lighting that evoked the style of candlelight, thousands of candles high in the rafters creating the effect of a starry night and a lower ceiling. It faked warmth, like so many of the attendees were going to do.</p><p>He enjoyed the relaxed lighting, the way it made everyone seem to drink more than a brazen, brighter place would. It made every conversation seem intimate when it was no such thing. </p><p>Wufei was gorgeous on the other side of the room, a spot of brighter color in a sea of black and burgundy tuxedos for the men, dressed sharply in dove grey with a mandarin collar. He'd given up and gone with navy blue after delighting Mariemaia with a host of hideous or too bright other options that had kept her laughing. He'd originally hired a security guard to stay with her in their hotel room so he didn't have to worry. Then Duo had shown up instead, and Wufei said not to worry, but...</p><p>Well.</p><p>He supposed that they would have to count it a success if they went back to the hotel and their daughter's hair was at least the same color as it had been when they left. It wasn't that Duo was unreliable or untrustworthy. It was simply that he was a wise man and he had left his daughter in the care of the only pilot who might be even more unpredictable than Wufei. Both of them had certainly been sufficient to drive grown military professionals into a panic.</p><p>There was no sense panicking this time. Hair grew back, after all.</p><p>Treize plucked a wine glass from the tray of a circulating waiter, left hand tucked behind his back because he still had a compulsion about hands in pockets and formal events that had been drilled into him before school. He'd preemptively popped a couple of anti-inflammatories to keep him on his feet as long as they were going to have to be there, but there was still no stopping the occasional self possessed nervous spasm of his left wrist and hand. Still, they were making progress on the overall endeavor, and some of his bones were starting to properly calcify in a normal way again.</p><p>A few more months of programming and experimentation with Laoshi and he might actually be a real boy.</p><p>"Hello, cousin. I see you've managed to find a quiet niche away from all of the hustle and bustle."</p><p>"Yet I find you in this same niche," he smiled. He gestured vaguely with the wine glass to the medals that cluttered the left breast of his tailored tuxedo jacket, as if to say 'see?', before he took a sip. "How are you?"</p><p>"Bored and hiding away for a few moments. Meredith hates these events, and he has a terrible habit of putting his foot in his mouth. Thank you, by the way, for his grant approval. I know you did it on merit of his ideas and not for me, but all the same." Ah, yes. That plague of atheists did seem like quite a good idea so long as it was combined with said atheists being engineers who could improve the L2 colony cluster's power generation problems.</p><p>"He's brilliant. Breathtakingly so. I'm delighted to give him a large amount of money and send him to the colonies." She was looking better, less strained around the edges of her eyes. He knew what it was like and had done it for a much shorter sprint of time. "If there ever is anything I can do for you, other than stay out of the way, please do let me know." Though he suspected that what he was doing just then was what he could do best.</p><p>Her throaty laughter was low, not loud enough to catch anyone's attention. She lifted her wineglass and sipped. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, you know, tossing your partner out amongst the wolves as you stand here appearing decorative."</p><p>"Does it help my case?" he asked, voice low and soft. "He's doing quite well with the wolves." Every time he thanked Wufei for what he did, he meant it, hoping he could return the thousand daily kindnesses somehow. Turning the spotlight on Wufei's civilian persona was the least he could do.</p><p>"Mmm," Dorothy replied, and whether that was positive or negative was up for interpretation by most people. Not Treize, though. "He really was raised to it, you know. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to find that it's true." Another sip. "We all were, one way and another."</p><p>"I'm weary of it." He hoped she found that as true as she was finding Wufei having been raised to lead his clan, to do his best with their vast resources. He was sure he could've been in her seat, ruled the world non-democratically until his own death, but... To what end, and what gains? It was why Relena had demurred any other crown offers. </p><p>He was losing sight of Wufei in the crowd as he moved to another business group.</p><p>"Do you feel up to dancing with me?" He caught a glimpse of her wry expression. "Since he's managed to get out of your line of sight. You watch him like a hawk, cousin dearest. You'd almost think you were afraid he might get away."</p><p>"I know where I'll find him at the end of the night." In their hotel room, tired and excited and welcoming. He chuckled and finished the wine glass. "Yes, let's dance." It would get them both out of the niche, and the music playing was just loud enough to be followed, not so loud as to ruin conversation. </p><p>It would make another statement. Dorothy was no fool, but he felt oddly proud of her. Her father, the moron, had always bemoaned not having had a son. Dorothy was worth any three other sons in Treize's opinion.</p><p>Mariemaia would be, too, he was sure of it. Time would tell.</p><p>With a sweeping bow, he led Dorothy onto the dance floor, a slow waltz beginning as they walked out of their tucked away corner. She curtsied, not too low, just as much as was appropriate, and he put a hand on her waist as their right hands clasped and they began to dance.</p><p>They both had years of training and practice, though he hadn't taken her onto a ballroom floor since she'd been a teenager. He readjusted his left hand to the back of her shoulder, which would give them both the correct freedom of movement in proper promenade.</p><p>By the time they reached the end of the dance, Dorothy was laughing breathlessly, delighted and pleased with herself and Treize both. Several of the onlookers applauded, and that was equally pleasing for them both as she curtsied once again, this time slightly deeper.</p><p>He bowed with a flourish befitting their elected leader. The smile on his face was hard to control. "No one would have expected that a year ago, least of all me. Thank you for the honor of a dance."</p><p>"Thank you for being as elegant a lead as you were when you taught me," Dorothy replied, and for a moment they both simply grinned at one another, enjoying themselves.</p><p>Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised to hear Wufei nearby. "You've never danced with me. Clearly we'll have to correct that problem at some point." Not likely right now since Treize's hip was twinging and Wufei undoubtedly knew as much.</p><p>"We could try, though I'm less sure about the lift a second time," he grinned, turning toward Wufei without turning away from Dorothy, reaching his left hand out to him.</p><p>"Madam President," Wufei greeted, hand slipping into Treize's.</p><p>"Master Chang. Lovely to see you, as always."</p><p>He clutched those fingers loosely, thumb sliding over the back of Wufei's hand. "Wufei, would you like a drink?" It was an excuse to break contact, which had always been the hardest thing to negotiate even when he'd been the damn leader himself, because how did one leave unless formally dismissed. "Madam President, drink?"</p><p>Dorothy laughed. "No, thank you, cousin. I believe I see someone I should talk to before they leave." Her blue eyes sparkled. It was obvious that she enjoyed this a great deal more than he ever could have. "Besides, I'm sure you have much more interesting plans than me for the evening. Do enjoy yourselves, won't you?" And then she was gone, the elegant lines of her dress flitting between the bystanders and toward the refreshments at the far end of the ball room.</p><p>It was easy to pivot toward Wufei then, holding his hand comfortably even if it was a little twitchily. "I didn't mean to distract you away from your business deals."</p><p>"A worthy distraction," Wufei murmured, lifting that hand and pressing a kiss against his left wrist. "Besides, I've talked to most of the people I needed to see. The rest can wait."</p><p>"Ah, but they shouldn't. You should talk to all of them into the wee hours, when the lights come up." He took a backward step, away from the general crowd of onlookers they had gathered from the dance, tugging Wufei as he turned his hand to Wufei's shoulder. "Or we could dance."</p><p>Ah, and that curve of his mouth, small and pleased, was never going to get old for him. "If you're sure, then let us dance."</p><p>Treize shifted carefully, taking Wufei's right hand in his. He could sleep late and disassociate freely the next morning, because twinging hip be damned. "Waltz?"</p><p>"Please. We can almost certainly skip the lift." For a couple of reasons -- his hip, the impression they wanted people to take away from this -- it was a good idea to skip it.</p><p>The dance floor was mostly clear when they stepped out and stood, Wufei's right hand in his, his other hand clasping him, close and intimate, and when the music began, they did, steps wide and swinging, swirling, until all of the other dancers seemed to fade away and it was only them.</p><p>They would twirl and twirl, always orbiting just within reach of one another. Treize couldn't think of a more appropriate dance or a more appropriate metaphor, and he hoped that, whatever might happen, whatever other universes might exist, they were just like this in all of them.</p>
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